After months of leaks, Sony has taken off the wraps from the Xperia XZ3 smartphone at the IFA 2018 in Berlin, Germany. The specifications of the Xperia XZ3 suggests that it has arrived with improvements in departments like display, battery and software compared to the Xperia XZ2 phone that was launched at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February. The XZ3 is the first Sony smartphone to come equipped with OLED screen and it is also the first handset to come preinstalled with Android 9 Pie OS.

Design and Display

The Sony Xperia XZ3 that features Gorilla Glass 5 panels on its front and rear with 7000-series aluminum frame in between. The handset comes with IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The dimensions of the XZ3 are 158 x 73 x 9.9 mm and it weighs 193 grams.

It is equipped with a dedicated hardware button for launching the camera. A fingerprint scanner resides of its rear panel. The upper and lower bezels of the phone feature the dual front-facing speakers of the phone. The four color variants of the XZ3 are Black, Silver White, Bordeaux Red and Forest Green. The overall appearance of the phone is similar to the Xperia XZ2. In fact, it appears like a larger version of the XZ2.

The 6-inch OLED screen of the Xperia XZ3 is curved towards is left and right edges. The XZ2 featured a smaller 5.7-inch LCD panel with FHD+ resolution. The XZ3 is the first phone from the Japanese tech giant to support Quad HD resolution. The 18:9 aspect ratio display is capable of supporting HDR content. Like the other Xperia flagship phones from Sony, the display of the XZ3 is powered Sony Bravia TV image processing technology. The screen also supports Always-on Display.

Chipset, Battery and Software

The Snapdragon 845 chipset paired with 4 GB of RAM powers the Xperia XZ3. The inbuilt storage of the smartphone is 64 GB. Its storage can be further expanded by adding up to 512 GB of microSD card. The 3,300mAh battery of the Xperia XZ3 coupled with features like Qi wireless charging and Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging. The XZ2 features a slightly smaller 3,180mAh battery.

The latest Android 9 Pie OS that comes with new features like AI power management, auto screen rotation and more is available on the XZ3. However, it lacks support for gesture UI of Android Pie. Sony has included its own feature called Side Sense which gives access to the most suitable apps based on the location, day, time and frequency of usage through a small pane on the right or left side of the display. It can be accessed on the right or left edge of the phone as shown in the video below.

For connectivity, the XZ3 offers features such as 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS and USB-C. The Xperia XZ3 is equipped with a powerful haptic feedback system Dynamic Vibration System that was also available on the Xperia XZ2. It enhances the movie watching and gaming experience on the handset. For stealer audio experience, it also features Hi-Res audio and LDAC.

Pricing and Availability

There is no confirmation on when Sony will be bringing the Xperia XZ3 to India. In the U.S., it will be available unlocked through Amazon and Best Buy from 24th September with an expensive price tag of $899. Sony is providing the Xperia Ear Duo for free to the customers of the Xperia XZ3.

The Xperia XZ3 is truly an attractive device thanks to its marvelous display, but its expensive pricing could deter consumers from purchasing it. What’s your opinion on the Xperia XZ2? Let us know your thoughts by posting your comments below.